Man from the South

Alright guys, tonight is the night where I get to recommend two stories to you.  For the first, I have chosen a short story by the Norwegian author Roald Dahl.  This story has been adapted several times for the screen, including a 1960 short short film featuring Alfred Hitchcock and Steve McQueen, and a 1995 short film featuring Quentin Tarantino and Bruce Willis.  “But isn’t he a kids’ writer,” some might ask; yes, Dahl was primarily famous for his children’s stories, but he also has written a fair amount of books and short stories for adults. Plus, if you thought he was a good author as a child, just wait until you read this short story of his titled Man from the South. Man from the South http://maggiemcneill.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/man-from-the-south.pdf What would you bet for a car?  Man from the South, by Roald Dahl, is about a sneaky South American trickster named Carlos who bets people cars in exchange for their fingers.  The story takes place by the pool deck of a hotel in 1948.  While the nameless narrator/protagonist lounges in a deckchair, Carlos walks over and sits in the deckchair next to him.  Eventually, Carlos and a soldier who’s relaxing in the pool strike up a conversation, which then turns into a wager. The bet is that if the soldier can light up his lighter ten times out of ten in the windy outdoors, then gets a car from Carlos.  If the soldier fails to light the lighter one of the ten times, Carlos gets his pinky finger.  The bet gets pretty intense, and a few words about the ending:  expect the unexpected. While the story may not have a hook, this is compensated for through Dahl’s impeccable writing style which will leave a reader feeling as if they are drifting through a story.  For that reason, I would recommend this story to a person who hates to read longer short stories, novellas, and novels because the story it is so easy to read that it takes nearly no mental energy.  What is nice about Dahl’s short stories is that he doesn’t overdo the details to the point of boredom, but effectively paints a picture of a story with a great setting and era within short concise sentences.  Another aspect of his writing that makes this story easy to follow is how the plot is being narrated by the protagonist, which allows us to get a more personal view of what is a happening in the story.  I really like the first person narrative because it gives me the feeling of being in the story.

The Hitch-Hiker

You may be looking at my recommendations list and be thinking, “aw what, another stupid Roald Dahl story,” but like the last story, this one which is called The Hitch-Hiker is written for the competent and the mature.  “Why does he like Roald Dahl so much,” you may ask, and if you asked me that, I would most likely say that I like him because I have loved his work since I was five-years-old.  Through and through, this guy knows how to write a story, and while this one may not be as famous as Man from the South, it is still an amazing story to read.  Enjoy!


The Hitch-Hiker
By Roald Dahl
http://www.netprof.pt/Ingles/PDF/TheHitchhikerb.pdf

Who would you pick up on the road?  The piece that I am recommending is titled The Hitch-Hiker and was written by Roald Dahl .  The story is about a nameless author who picks up a mysterious hitchhiker while driving to London during the mid 1970s (we can deduct this from the fact that the protagonist is driving a BMW 3.3 li which was made from 1975-1977).  The hitchhiker is a very strange man: he looks like a rat, he goes to horse races, but he doesn’t watch them or bet, and he won’t disclose his job to anybody.  The hitchhiker eventually goads the protagonist into driving his top notch BMW at a high speed, at which point the police pulls them, and tickets the protagonist.  Furious at the his passenger for getting him in trouble, the protagonist threatens to throw him out of the car.  Just as the protagonist is about to force the hitchhiker out, the he reveals a secret to the driver, and as if nothing happened, the protagonist proceeds to drive just as he had before.

As in Man from the South, The Hitchhiker does not have a clear and direct hook, but rather starts off with,  ‘I had a new car’.  While this may not be very attention grabbing to some, what is interesting about Dahl stories is that they are able to draw the reader in even without a super sharp hook.  Dahl effectively does this by giving us information about the protagonist in short sentences.  By giving us tiny bits of information about our protagonist, Dahl allows us to get to know him a little before we enter the story, which humanizes the character a little more, and works as a method for drawing the readers (including me) in.

Unlike some short stories, which will either build too fast, leaving the reader clueless; or others that go so slowly that the climax is hard to see, this story is nice because it builds at an appropriate speed, it has a clear climatic moment, and the resolution is interesting.  As I have mentioned before: reading Dahl’s work simulates the feeling of floating through a story, which effectively keeps the reader tuned in while encouraging them to read on.  I felt this story was satisfying because of the twist that Dahl included at the end of this story. The twists resolve the story further, and will satisfy any dissatisfaction felt during the climax or resolution.  His twists are one of the primary reasons I love his work because they add spice to his writing.


I really love this story because of the hitchhiker, whose quirky presence really makes the story a lot more fun to read and adds a fun uniqueness to the climax.  I think this story compares pretty well others I have read, and I love it because it is a very relaxed story, yet it carries enough of my interest to keep me awake to read it.  For these reasons, I would have to give this 5/5 stars. I think most readers will enjoy the unique personality of the hitchhiker, who is clever, sneaky, and conniving. I also think that they will enjoy the twist at the end! The twists are a staple of Dahl’s writing—and as I’m reading, I’m also trying to figure out what the big surprise is.  After reading this story, it makes me glad to know that the protagonist is safe.  I don’t know why, but it comforts me to see my protagonist safely on his way, and I hope that you will feel the same way after reading it.

The Littlest Hitler

To be honest I really feel bad for this kid.  He lives with just his father because his mother left his dad, his father is kinda crazy (taught a 4th grader how to roll up a blunt), his father seems a little bit like a deadbeat, and to top it off, this stupid same dad has the swell idea of dressing his kid up like Hitler.  That just seems so irresponsible on the part of a parent to get their kid into hot water by playing a "joke" on them for their own amusement.  The kid in this story really seems like a good person, he has friends, he doesn't seem like that stupid of a person, and he really seems like a victim of circumstance.  But besides those components of the protagonist's personal life I think this was a pretty good story.  I really didn't like how much of a jerk the dad was though, but enough with him, he's good for taking care of his son especially when the mother seems to want out of the picture.  Do you know who I dislike in this story?  That's right the Lisette kid, what a little sh*t, I don't care if the main character is dressed as Hitler for Halloween because the father thought it would be funny, or that Lisette is dressed as Anne Frank because that little girl is a bully.  I've met people like her as a 4th grader, and one thing I can say is that it is not fun to be their victim.  I thought that the whole story was amazing, especially when he's in the haunted house with the pseudo-hooker, although I don't know if shrugging was the best thing he could have done.  At the end when the kid went trick-or-treating I thought that the father could have done a better job of cheering him up, considering the tough day he'd had, but he didn't really do it that well, and I think that was a big no-no in the parenting business.  What was most surprising about this story was the end, because the protagonist stuck his hand into a fire to see how much it hurts, and that doesn't sound something a 4th grader would do.  To sum it, I loved the story telling loved the story, (even if it was a little weird) and am happy to have read this story; it was really good.

A story from my childhood

Once when I was three I tried going to the toilet for the first time, but because my behind was a little bit small for the seat I feel in.  Now a normal three-year-old would have called for his mom because:

a)  he was scared of being in potential "danger" and usually would have let out a blood curdling scream for his mother

or b)  been able to form basic word to signal his parents

but the problem with me was that it wasn't till I was four or five that I was able to talk and form complete sentences, as well as makes sounds other than crying; and that because I didn't feel any immediate danger being trapped under a toilet seat in a toilet bowl, I contently sat there and awaited my parents rescue.  But as an energetic three-year-old, sitting down when Arthur wasn't on was hard, so in an attempt to escape, I started tugging on the wide-white rope to the left of me, hoping to escape from the toilet bowl.  But as I found out to my despair, the white rope no matter how much I tugged it could not support my muscular three-year-old body.  I believe that I had waited in that toilet bowl for thirty minutes, trying to pull my way out with the rope, when my grandmother, who was wondering where I had gone came into the bathroom and saw me trapped in that white valley of doom.  Immediately she pulled me out to safety, and to her despair pulled all the white from that I had used in an attempt to escape from the dirty bottom of the toilet seat and into the trashcan.  Had my grandmother forgotten me, and had simply been going to the bathroom, I may have been in deep doo-doo, literally; but thanks to her actions, I possible death sentence turned into a mere thirty minute bath, and I am still here to tell the tale

A Good Man is Hard to Find

Even though the characters in the story all die at the end, I still just loved how nice and simple the plot was.  I didn't like the racial slurs involved, but besides that, a fine story.  I felt the beginning was a little confusing, (because I thought they were on a plane for a little bit) but once I realized they were always in a car, I was fine.  While I liked the simplicity of this story, I feel that because of its lack of depth besides the good man (which I'll go into in the next paragraph) its really hard to say anything besides, "nice job author, that was a great story you told".  What I liked about this story besides its simplicity was the writing and the plot, I was actually surprised when the Misfit killed the whole family, and even though it may have seemed a little shocking, I was prepared for that to happen to the point where I'm not even going to go into detail about it.  Overall, I liked this story because it had a nice  little "introduction"(which some of the stories lack) and because the plot after the "introduction" was straightforward, and directly presented the point that was presented early in the story which was:  A Good Man is Hard to Find.  What I liked best about this story was that there was really nothing to complain about, which saves me an awful lot of time and space.  In the end, I thought this was one of the better stories we've read, even if it was more unusual.

What is the significance of the title "A Good Man is
Hard to Find"

I think what the title is saying is that nowadays it is very rare that somebody will do something for another person out of the kindness of their heart no matter the situation.  Which is why it was weird in a way that this murderer the misfit stopped to help the family, even though he was being watched; of course he killed them when the grand mother wouldn't shut her trap, but up to the point that grandmother spills the beans the Misfit seems pretty helpful, and doing it out of the good of his heart.  I guess what the significance of this title is also relates to the fact that you can find a good man even in the most despicable sounding people; which may also translate into don't judge a book by its cover.  But overall, I think that it relates back to finding a good man is hard, but when you do (the misfit) it can be helpful.  My other interpretation of this is that you never know how good a person is until they do something bad, because the Misfit seems pretty nice up until the point the grandmother talks, and then he kills the family, so maybe the author is trying to convey the feeling of, "Is he a good man, ooh... so close," but keep in mind, these are just my ideas and probably aren't spot on for the correct interpretation of the title's relation to the story.

Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?

This story left me coming away from it very creeped out; but before I talk about that, I wonder why this story is for Bob Dylan?  Anyways lets begin: this story was very creepy towards the end, and throughout it, you knew the author was leading up to something.  Our story concerns a girl named Connie who is longing for an "adventure" with guys, who is pretty but stuck in a world with an overachieving-ugly-all-star sister  and a mom who is overly critical of her.  The only place she can find solace is with her friends, and with boys.  During this place in the story, this girl really sounds like a superficial jerk, and she is but later in the book you feel sorry for the situation she's in.  While what I described to you may just sound like teenage sex with consent; this next part is where it gets creepy.  Connie stays home while her family goes to a barbecue and while she's listening to music, this creepy guy comes over to her house in a car, tells her he wants her, and when Connie threatens to call the police; shit gets serious.  The guy (named Arnold Friend) appears to know almost everything about Connie, and he looks like he's forty-years-old.  Eventually he comes into her house and takes her away with him never to return.  This really really creeped me out because not only do I know that the girl is going to get raped but she is also getting kidnapped.  Personally, the thought of getting kidnapped and raped by a forty-year-old pedophile (and his friend) is just too scary to even try to imagine.  But in a way it is ironic that Connie; a girl who is suppressed by her mother and wants to leave the awful vibe she has going in her current life uses boys to escape, is then forcibly forced to leave her house in order to pursue a life she dreamed of.  This story seemed interesting even from the beginning,  but towards the end, I wanted to put the story down and stop reading.  It's just so creepy what Arnold Friend says at the end, how he asks Connie in a creepy voice to come with him, and let everything go because she's going to have a new life.  While the storytelling of this story was amazing, the actual story (while not written badly) was pretty scary to read, it made me feel like I was being watched by a forty-year-old creep.  To sum it up: good story, very scary, creepy plot.

If I had to use a sound track to describe this story here's what I would use... especially for the end

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMfoRqbS-Ko

A&P

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

My reactions to this story.... I loved it, but the story could seem a little flat at times, especially when the story focused in on minor details like the family becoming rich, and especially at the end how the 'angel' became a dot on the sea, I didn't like those moments but (and I'll go back to it later) this story was touching.  My second reaction to this story was, "how did the people of this Caribbean (yes it sounds like a Caribbean island) or Polynesian island not have the brains to realize that this was a bird!  I'm not going to lie if the author hadn't been so blatantly obvious with his use of words such as buzzard, vulture, and hawk I probably would never have caught on to the situation in this story, but as it was, what I felt was a "traffic jam" of descriptions vs. realities did not really ruin the story for me, and in fact it was what I talked about at the beginning that made this story so touching.  Aside from the "Spider Lady" (Spider-Man has been there and done that), who I felt was unnecessary and kind of annoying (but I think the author may have been going in that direction with her a little) I thought it was nice how people with problems would go to the 'angel' to have their problems healed by his holiness, but how even without having powers the angel 'gave' something to each of the people; good or bad.  Why I really liked this was because I felt that it was one of the author's best use of being subtle with what he's conveying, and what I like about this is that by giving the people of the village, and people hurt by life random things, the author is taking the asbestos out of one of the walls (not the fourth) and whispering to the people, "he's not really an angel so stop your foolishness," which I loved.  Overall, this was a great story to read, and aside from my few nitpicks, I would say kudos to the author.

Some questions I have about this story are

a.  What "type" of bird/angel landed in Pelayo's house; was it a stork, a vulture (most probable), or a hawk or anything else?

b.  What Island does the bird/angel live on; because somebody would have to be pretty isolated (or stupid) to believe that a bird was an angel?

c.  What actual physical condition did the Spider Lady actually have, if any (because it isn't as if she's been bitten by a radioactive spider (or am I just being stupid and the whole notion of her condition is fiction within the fiction))?